


Come Back To Me [Atem/Yugi]

by LenaLuna1995



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Atem is an asshole, Atem returns, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Bakura is a bro, Gen, I'M IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTIONS, Other, Yugi is hurting, a little ooc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:28:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25486255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LenaLuna1995/pseuds/LenaLuna1995
Summary: Atem is gone and Yugi is dealing quite poorly with it. He leaves Japan for a few years and when he returns, Seto Kaiba is on his doorstep. Asking for a favor. If he could put together the Millennium Puzzle? Yugi at first refuses but eventually agrees. What's the worst that can happen? Atem is gone, isn't he?!
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Bakura Ryou/Marik Ishtar
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. The Puzzle

**Author's Note:**

> Me and some friends made a Yugioh AU with our original characters in it. At some point, I started arguing that we needed to bring back Atem as we had already written Noah and Mana into the story, along with many others. So that's how we came up with this idea.
> 
> Don't worry, the AU follows mostly canon and this fic is only about how Atem came back.
> 
> It's edited by a friend of mine, the same one who helped me write this idea and who is in the AU- team.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi returns to Japan and Kaiba asks him something impossible

Things started out relatively normal when Yugi returned from this two year trip all around the world. He was welcomed by the whole gang and Joey immediately pulled him in a hug, loudly exclaiming how much he missed him and Yugis return was the best gift for his twenty-first birthday.  
Yugi only smiled, glad to be back. After introducing everyone to a new friend he made in America, who immediately grew a liking to Thea, they went to Yugi’s home to help him unpack and talk about all the crazy things he experienced.  
Everyone was very surprised about his tattoo but after Thea pointed out that she recognized it, asking if those weren’t Atem’s hyroglyphs, everyone fell silent. Yugi rubbed his thumb lovingly over the inside of his wrist and smiled painfully, but he answered honestly. That yes, those were Atem’s hyroglyphs, and yes, it was permanent. He wiped away a lost tear and his friends thankfully didn’t push the issue any further, though he knew they would ask him later if they had him one on one, in private. But he didn’t mind, his friends cared for him and were just curious about everything, including his well being.  
They knew why was gone for so long and they knew that Yugi needed it.

Overall, things were decent.

The real problem began a month later when the two Kaiba brothers were suddenly in the Game shop. He was cleaning the shelves when the bell rang, the door opened and a shadow fell over him. He looked up, ready to inform the new customer that they were about to close but if they hurried they still could buy something when he saw the figure of his former classmate, enemy, rival and now friend and his little brother, who wasn’t that little anymore. Yugi immediately jumped up.  
“Kaiba! It’s so good to see you!” he exclaimed happily but Seto Kaiba’s face stayed neutral if not a bit cranky. “Save me the formalities, Yugi.”he said as Mokuba hugged Yugi, “We need to talk.”

And that’s how Yugi found himself in his livingroom, at one table with the two most important people in the whole city, if not whole Japan. Yugi grew nervous. What was so important that Kaiba needed to talk with him about that he couldn’t do in the shop Kaiba was never one to hide things nor was he afraid of telling what was on his mind, no matter where he was. So whatever this was about, it sure was important. But he didn’t have to wait long as Kaiba pulled out a small golden sarcophagus from his suitcase and shoved it towards Yugi. “I need to ask for a favor.” Kaiba said. And Yugi had to contain himself. This was the box he usually kept his decks in but as he had just returned he also knew his decks were still neatly stored away in his desk. The only thing that was on his mind was something he really didn’t want to see at the moment, or any moment.

-“Kaiba… what’s in the box?”  
“You’ll see.” said the older brother  
-“Kaiba.”, Yugi threadenly whispered, “What. Is. In. The. Sarcophagus? “  
“Just open it.” said Mokuba, who up to this point hadn’t said a word.

Yugi did as asked. As soon as he lifted the lid, a bright golden light shone in his eyes and Yugi fels the adrenaline pump through his veins. This couldn’t be.  
But it was. For a second Yugi stared at the puzzle pieces. The same puzzle he got from his grandfather, the same puzzle that he took eight years putting together, the same puzzle that granted his biggest wish, the same puzzle that once was the home to his closest friend – literally and figuratively -, and the same puzzle that was once burried in the remains of Millennium Items Tomb. The same puzzle that was lying now in front of him, hurting both his eyes and his heart. Whereas the puzzle was once occupied, it was now empty, just like the gap in his heart. “No.” Yugi whispered, his voice almost breaking. Kaiba didn’t pay any attention to it, but he knew that Mokuba had noticed it.  
“I need you to fix this for me.” Kaiba said, almost as he was demanding it from the older boy. Yugi ignored him as he had many questions of his own.  
“where did you get this, Kaiba? It was buried!” Yugi demanded to know, a tear falling down his cheek, followed by another one.  
“Ishizu and I dug it up.” Seto Kaiba said.  
“For what?!” Yugi yelled to which Kaiba didn’t even bat an eye. “None of your business.” he answered nonchalantly.  
“Only the puzzle?” Yugi continued.  
“All the millennium items.” Seto said, “Listen Motou, I don’t have all the time in the world. You’re gonna help me of not?”  
“To hell, I will. Why don’t you ask Ishizu or let one of your fancy robots do it? Or even better, you do it!” Yugi angerly bit back. Kaiba grinned: “I’m afraid you’re my last resort. We already did all that. We even asked your grandfather who went off on what of a masterpiece the puzzle was, and hell, we even let that knuckle head Wheeler have a try to humor ourselves, as we knew he wouldn’t come far.”  
Yugi grew angrier by the second. How dared this man come into his house and insult his friends. “Joey isn’t a – wait… You asked grandpa?!”

Mokuba sighed: “Shouldn’t have said that, bro.” but Seto shushed him.  
Yugi stood up and slammed his palms on the table. “How dare you pull my Grandfather into this mess, Kaiba!” He loudly proclaimed, trying to sound intimidating with little to no effect. Just as suspected the blue eyed man, rolled his eyes, exhaled slowly and stood up.  
“As if he wasn’t already in this mess. Listen, Motou, it was a pleasent talk but we won’t come far with this. We’re leaving, Mokuba!”  
His brother threw Yugi an apologetic look.  
Seto picked the lid of the sarcophagus, closed it and put it back in his suitcase. “We’ll try to figure something out.”  
And with those words, Yugi saw the puzzle disappear. And he? He felt worse than before.

A month went by and Yugi found himself in the elevator of Kaiba Corp. It was now March 2011, three months after Yugi returned to Japan. When Kaiba had come to him to ask him to put the Millennium Puzzle together, he refused and later cried about it. His grandfather saw him sitting, moping, in his room and went to talk to him. Giving his grandson a few wise words as advice. “It is always good to put up boundaries, Yugi, but sometimes you have to test them.” he said, “You know what yours are but I also know you sometimes would rather hide behind them.” Yugi blushed out of embarrassment, as he knew the old man was speaking the truth. Once out of his shell, Yugi could do great things but more times than not Yugi was afraid to expand his comfort zone. “I know you’re right, Gramps, but I’m trying to forget Atem.” said the boy, and his grandfather laughed. “I know you do, my boy, but this will a good test to see if that little world trip worked!” And with that, he was convinced.

Grandpa was right, he needed to get over himself. That’s when he decided to call Seto Kaiba and offer his help. Kaiba accepted and told him to pick it up at his office. That was exactly the thing he was doing now. Yugi took a deep breath when the elevator made a sound before the doors opened.  
Immediately, he was ambushed.  
“Yugi!” he heard a voice call his name, seconds before he was trapped in a tight hug.  
“Hello Mokuba.” Yugi said out of breath, hugging the younger man back.  
After exchanging pleasantries, the two went to Seto’s office to wait, where Mokuba filled him in on all the details. It seemed like the Ishtar family wanted to make a public museum display of all the Millennium items and asked Kaiba Corp for a favor. Seto Kaiba agreed and they went to Egypt. They dug up all the items, including the puzzle. But it was in pieces and no one could solve it, not the Ishtars, nor Kaiba himself and neither did any of his machines succeed. As revealed earlier, they had asked old Solomon but even with his knowledge of ancient artifacts and puzzles, they came nowhere and he had to give up after putting a few pieces together. That part still irked Yugi but there was nothing he could do about it, now. This had all taken place when he was on his road trip to get his mind together and get over everything as the psychologist he was working with wasn’t much help. It was now time to see if the trip did. After fifteen minutes of waiting, Seto opened the door to his office and the two men shook hands before Seto walked to his desk and pulled the sarcophagus into view. Yugi gulped and picked it up. “You’re sure all the pieces are in here?” Yugi asked the CEO and Kaiba nodded. “all the twenty-five pieces, we counted it ten times”. And with that, they said their goodbyes and Yugi got up to leave. 

“Motou!” Seto called out as Yugi opened the door and the man stopped in his tracks. “Yes, Seto?” He turned and saw the man smiling, a rare sight. “I knew you’d come around!” said Kaiba. Yugi grinned back, told Seto to screw off and left. 

When Yugi returned home, he put his bag on his bed and sat down at his desk. ‘This was where the hard part began’ he thought to himself as he took the golden sarcophagus out. Slowly he took off the lid and splayed out all the pieces on the table. Some were already together, done by either his grandfather or Kaiba himself. Some belonged together, some didn’t and those Yugi took apart and tried to find where they did belong. The last time he fixed the puzzle was almost five years ago, when he was still a sixteen year old teenager, trapped in a burning building, ready to die if he couldn’t save his friend. But that was then, and this was now and now he was almost twenty-one, graduated high school and had just come back from a almost two year long road trip. After putting a few pieces together, Yugi decided to let it rest for today and continue another time. He put everything back where it belonged, stored it on his book shelf and went downstairs where he could already smell the result of his mothers cooking. Let’s see if he was needed…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it. Chapter 1. Hope you liked it!


	2. Bakuras's birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two.
> 
> Yugi is suffering™ and Bakura is being a bro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ehm... Remember when I said that this fanfic will have 3 chapters... Ahahhaah. Nope. I decided on minimum 5. This this a bit smaller chapter because I deadass decided to cut one chapter in two. Enjoy!

Time flew by and before Yugi knew it, it was Bakura his birthday. They had planned to all come together for the day. Talking about the good old days, open a beer, stuff like that.

A few weeks ago that idea sounded like music to Yugi’s ears but when he woke up that morning, he couldn’t feel worse. His whole body was numb and he was tired. Which wasn’t all that questionable, seen as he had only slept for five hours that night. 

But a promise was a promise.

While looking for a clean shirt, Yugi saw the sarcophagus sitting on top of a few sweaters, the place he has put it a few nights prior. Mentally not well enough to see it. 

The young man sighed. Seto had asked him something. And he wasn’t sure he’d be able to make that promise come true. He had been working on it for a few months already an barely making any real results, constantly giving up. It wasn’t easy putting something like that together when you don’t know what kind of reaction it will give, if any. And maybe that was what Yugi was most afraid about? That nothing would happen, he gives the Millennium Puzzle back to Kaiba and they expect him to move on with his life.

With a last sigh, Yugi took his purple sweater and closed the door of his closet. He now only hoped he wouldn’t wake up his mom and grandfather as they liked to sleep in on the weekends.

When Yugi arrived at his friend’s house, it was one in the afternoon and there were already some people present. Old classmates with whom they still had contact, Joey, Thea and if you speak of the devil. Seto Kaiba. After taking his coat off and wishing Bakura a happy birthday, he took a bottle of beer from the table and sat down at one of the chairs. Before he could even start a conversation with someone, Kaiba sat down next to him. 

“Yugi, glad you could make it!” Seto greeted him and Yugi greeted him back.  
But he knew why Kaiba was really sitting next to him. It wasn’t to make small talk or talk about how great the party was. 

No, leave those things to Thea or perhaps even Tristan. 

“So, how is our little project going?”

Yugi sighed. There it was. There was no spinning around with this man. So he put on a smile and told him the truth  
.  
“Kaiba, I hope you understand what you’re asking from me. Me and the Pharaoh had a deep emotional connection, so putting the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle together won’t be as easy as 1, 2, 3…” he said with a serious voice.

With that he wished Kaiba a good day, stood up and walked to the kitchen where Bakura was putting some dirty dishes away.Yugi greeted him. 

“Hey Bakura!”

The light haired man laughed: “How many times do I have to tell you, that you can call me by my first name?” For the billionth time that day, Yugi sighed, leaning against the fridge. “I know, old habits die hard, as the say.” was his answer. He then took a long sip of his beer, looking at the ground while wondering if it had been a smart idea to come. Yugi looked up when he felt eyes staring at him. He saw Bakura looking at his with a serious gaze  
.  
“You okay?” he asked.

Yugi shook his head. “How do you British do it, reading people like a magazine?” 

And Bakura laughed.  
“Yugi, we’ve known each other for almost six years, you’re an open book to me!”

Yugi knew that his friend was right. They’d met each other in Domino High. At first Ryou Bakura was a somewhat shy boy but he quickly opened up and they became great friends.  
They often played Duel Monsters together or had long, intrigued D&D sessions that sometimes took whole nights. Next to Joey and Tristan, Bakura had become one of his best friends who supported him through thick and thin. He was also the one who knew what it was to be a host to another spirit, although his was less kind.

Maybe Marik was more of an exert in that territory…

Yeah, Yugi and Bakura never had secrets for each other. But if he found out about this, he could expect a long lecture.

So he lied. “Don’t worry, Bak.. – I mean, Ryou, I’m fine!” he said, “just really tired. Kaiba is keeping everyone on their toes in this time of year and.. –“

Bakura cut him off. 

“Don’t lie to me, Yugi, I know there is more than just stress going on.” Yugi looked at him perplexed. “What..?” was the only thing he could muster up. His friend put a hand on his shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. “You know you can tell me everything, right?” Ryou told him, “Tell me what is exactly going on.”

At that moment, Yugi knew he couldn’t lie anymore, so he told Bakura the whole story:

He told him exactly how deep the bond with Atem had really been. He told Bakura how hard it was for him to say goodbye to his closest friend. How he fell into a depression and by miracle graduated high school.

Yugi told about the talks he had with the therapist but even they couldn’t help him. He told him why exactly he took that trip, it wasn’t just to clear his mind. Not even to enjoy life. The only reason he’d done it was to properly say goodbye to Atem, thanking him for making him the man he is today. 

He told Bakura about the talks he had with Marik and Ishizu about it, how they had shown him where exactly Atem’s tomb was. 

Then he told about how he did feel better now that he had put everything behind him. And then Kaiba destroyed it with showing up with the Puzzle. How miserable Yugi felt. How he felt stupid for agreeing to fix the damn thing. How he struggled every day these last months. And again, how he was afraid of what reaction the Puzzle would give. 

When he was done talking, the kitchen was quiet for a few seconds before Bakura broke the silence. “Bloody hell…” he whispered and closed the dishwasher that was now filled to the brim with dirty glasses, plates and what not. It then remained silent, with only the dishwasher making noise.For a few seconds, the two men managed to find some kind of comfort in those sounds while thinking of what to say next. 

But that was aprubdly disturbed by a tipsy Joey Wheeler with a vodka bottle in his hands. “Oi, Yuug, yu gottah see this!” He yelled at his friend “Marik and Tristan are doing beer pong!”. 

As he finished those words, they were shoved aside why a somewhat livid British man as he yelled “I’ll fycking murder him!” Yugi exhaled slowly through his nose and followed his friends to the living room. 

Maybe he could calm the flames…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was that. Chapter two. Did you like it? I hope you did because there is more where that came from ;)


	3. A calm summer morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi enjoys a calm summer morning with some well deserved rest and of course, a cup of coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ehm... This is a minuscule chapter because I cut a larger one in two. Sorry, but I liked it more this way.
> 
> Also, my friend, who is also my editor, helped me with this chapter because I was struggling.

In the blink of an eye, it was Christmas and not much later, Joey’s twenty-second birthday rolled around. 

They went drinking to celebrate, and again Kaiba had asked about the well being of the Puzzle. Yugi grumbled and gave Kaiba the same response he had given him each time so far. Deep down he wondered what Seto was doing here, as Joey would never intentionally invite the person he loathed the most. Then he remembered it was a public place and Kaiba could go where he wanted.

After escaping the older Kaiba brother, he soon noticed the younger version at the bar too.  
Yugi immediately understood what Seto was doing here. He tapped Mokuba on the shoulder and kindly told him to watch himself, a bar was no place for people of age six-teen after all.  
With a bit of moaning, but agreeing with Yugi in the end, the young teen backed off and left the bar to find his brother. 

Yugi silently wondered how Mokuba even got in, but he guessed security wasn’t a thing when your brother owns the city. 

Yugi, however, forgot about the accident the next day as he had to go back to work and before he knew, the days started getting longer, the sun became warmer and birds started singing. Summer was coming soon. 

On one particular morning, Yugi woke up and was immediately greeted by the sun on his face through his roof window. After a few stretches, he got up, checking what time it was. The clock told him it was eight A.M. 

Satisfied with the amount of sleep, Yugi got dressed, brushed his teeth and put his hair in a messy bun. After he was done he went to the kitchen for some breakfast. Silently, skipping the noisy step, Yugi made it downstairs. 

On the kitchen he found a note that was left, it read:

“Yugi,  
Me and Solomon are out to pick up some orders. We will back by the evening. If we're not home by dinner you can eat some leftovers from yesterday or order some pizza. 

Love you, xxx Mom

Ps, Seto Kaiba called.  
P.ps, Joey called too, I told him you'd call back. Something about Okinawa.  
P.p.ps, Your dad is coming to visit next week, so don’t make any plans.”

Yugi chuckled and put the note down. His mom still treated him as a little boy sometimes, telling him where she went, writing everything down. Even if he had already written it in his phone, but, oh well, guess she can’t help it when she raised him.

While humming one of the latest hits, Yugi took the bread out of the cabinet, some ingredients out of the refrigerator and after turning on the Espresso machine, he began making himself a nice sandwich. The warm weather and the thought of his father finally coming back for a few weeks brightened up his mood immensely.  
He might have been an almost twenty-two year old adult by now, but deep inside he was always a child. Besides that, Yugi was also happy for his grandfather that he'd see his son as the two saw each other once every few months due to work that Yugi's dad did.

And with that in mind, he took his coffee, and his plate and went back upstairs, where his laptop was waiting for him, but like always, he got distracted. Gold shone bright in his eyes and Yugi picked up the almost finished item.

“Morning, old friend.” He greeted it, as it was still occupied. He knew fully well it wasn’t but Lord forgive him after he had Atem by his side, day and night, for two years long.  
Atem was like his twin brother, a twin brother with whom he shared a body, mind and soul. They could hear each others thoughts and feel each other’s feelings. If Yugi was upset, Atem was there to cheer him up and if Yugi was happy, Atem didn’t hesitate to celebrate with him. Vice versa, things were the same. They knew each others deepest secrets.

And that, that was why Yugi had such a hard time finishing the damn thing. He was scared of completing the Puzzle and everything that would happen after.  
Would Atem return, would another evil be unleashed into the world, or would nothing happen? Those questions ghosted in Yugi's head at night. But he knew that at some point to had to finish it. Thus, while his laptop took its sweet time doing some upgrades, Yugi took the missing pieces and tried to find out where they fit. Thirthy minutes later, he was… Done.

Or so to speak. The last piece way layed into its place, a few millimeters away from making a click. But Yugi was afraid, afraid for the reaction. Afraid for the last push. So he put it aside and texted his boss. He knew Seto would answer, as the man was usually awake by six. 

At S. Kaiba:  
“I finished it. Do you want me to drop it off at work on Monday or..? “

A minute went by and he got a response:

“Took you time, Motou. I will be at your house in an hour. Be home!”

Yugi answered a thumbs up and put down his phone. He always wondered how Kaiba could be up at such an early hour and already be going places.

He himself liked to wake up at his own pace, game for a few hours and usually by eleven, Joey would call him to invite him to hang out. 

That’s how he’d spend his days in the summer.

And speaking of Joey, what the hell was the deal with Okinawa?


End file.
